Frogs Following in Elephants' Footsteps - Literally

Frogs have been using the puddles created by the footsteps of Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, as safe places to spawn their young. A team of researchers, seeking to examine the impact Asian elephants have on the species that surround them, found many of the foot puddles to be filled with tadpoles and eggs. The foot puddles make surprisingly good homes for the frogs' young, as they commonly last for over a year and the trail of footprints they're a part of provide for a series of closely connected populations. The water holes are capable of lasting over a year, providing shelter and moisture during the dry seasons.

Frogs aren't the only species the elephants affect. Through their normal behavior of traveling around and foraging, the elephants manage to create new forest paths, transfer seeds, and breakthrough densely settled growth, allowing for new plant species to take root. As a keystones species, the elephants create many of the conditions necessary for other species to maintain themselves.

Steven Platt, the lead author stated: "This study underscores the critical role wildlife play in ecosystems in sometimes unexpected ways. When you lose one species, you may be unknowingly affecting others, which is why protecting intact ecosystems with full assemblages of wildlife is so important."

Read more: http://rsci.nl/43i
Image: Steven Platt